Distribuição de riscos e autonomia privada : uma análise de direito comparado sobre a gestão da superveniência contratual

Esta tese busca examinar como as figuras de distribuição de riscos, especialmente em eventos supervenientes, são aplicadas em contextos de grandes alterações de circunstâncias. A pesquisa adota uma abordagem comparada entre os sistemas de Common Law e Civil Law, analisando a interação entre autonomia privada e soluções heterônomas na regulação contratual de riscos. Examinando jurisprudência recente e doutrina pós-pandemia, o estudo investiga os limites da autonomia privada em contratos entre partes sofisticadas, com especial atenção à aplicação de cláusulas de força maior, hardship e MAC, e como diferentes tradições jurídicas afetam a alocação contratual de riscos. Além disso, o estudo aborda como crises sistêmicas, como a pandemia da COVID-19, desafiam a eficácia das soluções contratuais previamente estabelecidas.This thesis examines how risk distribution mechanisms, particularly in supervening events, are applied in the context of major changes in circumstances. The research adopts a comparative approach between Common Law and Civil Law systems, analyzing the interaction between private autonomy and heteronomous solutions in contractual risk regulation. Drawing on recent case law and post-pandemic doctrine, the study explores the limits of private autonomy in contracts between sophisticated parties, with special attention to the application of force majeure, hardship, and MAC clauses, and how different legal traditions influence contractual risk allocation. Furthermore, the study addresses how systemic crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, challenge the effectiveness of pre-established contractual solutions

Avaliação do uso de bedinvetmab no contexto clínico da sua utilização no maneio da dor associada a osteoartrite em cães

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária, área científica de ClínicaA osteoartrite é uma doença degenerativa que provoca deterioração da cartilagem, instabilidade e dor articulares. O seu maneio médico é multimodal e inclui prevenção da progressão da doença, bem como gestão dos sinais clínicos. Esta doença está normalmente associada a diversos fatores de risco como a raça, peso, idade avançada, entre outros. Os principais objetivos deste estudo foram descrever o uso de bedinvetmab (Librela) enquanto fármaco de maneio da dor associada a osteoartrite em cães, bem como investigar possíveis efeitos adversos associados à sua administração. Pretendeu se ainda identificar as apresentações clínicas mais comuns que motivaram a recomendação desta terapêutica. Este estudo retrospetivo utilizou uma amostra de 36 cães, cujos resultados foram recolhidos fazendo recurso a um questionário preenchido pelos seus detentores. A maioria dos animais deste estudo eram animais de grande porte (n=21), esterilizados (n=24) e com mais de 8 anos de idade (n=30). Grande parte dos animais já tinha realizado outros tratamentos previamente ao início da terapêutica com bedinvetmab, e iniciaram o tratamento como alternativa para o maneio da dor após terem sido aconselhados pelo seu médico veterinário assistente. Os detentores mostraram-se em grande parte satisfeitos com os efeitos do bedinvetmab (n=24), e ainda com a sua tolerância, apesar de existirem alguns relatos de reações adversas nesta amostra (n=6), que contudo estão em linha com o descrito na bibliografia. Os resultados deste estudo, ainda que a amostra não seja extensa, indicam que o bedinvetmab é uma alternativa viável e segura para o tratamento da osteoartrite, principalmente em animais com comorbilidades ou que apresentem contraindicações para a realização de outras terapêuticasABSTRACT - ASSESSMENT OF BEDINVETMAB USE IN THE CLINICAL CONTEXT OF ITS APPLICATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS IN DOGS - Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that causes cartilage deterioration, as well as joint instability and pain. Its medical management is multimodal and includes prevention of disease progression along with managing clinical signs. This disease is usually associated with various risk factors that include the patients’ breed, weight, age, among others. The main goals of this study were to describe the use of bedinvetmab (Librela) as a pain management drug for osteoarthritis-associated joint pain in dogs, and to investigate potential adverse effects related to its administration. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the most common clinical presentations that prompted the recommendation of this treatment. This retrospective study included a total of 36 dogs, whose results were collected through a questionnaire that was filled out by their owners. Most of patients in this study were of large breeds (n=21), neutered (n=24) and over the age of 8 (n=30). A big portion of them had already been prescribed other treatments prior to bedinvetmab and started this as an alternative for pain management after consulting their veterinary practitioners. Owners seemed positively satisfied with the effects of the medication (n=24) as well as its tolerance, even though there were some occurrences of side effects in this sample (n=6), that were however in accordance with what’s described in the literature. Despite the study’s sample not being extensive, the results indicate that bedinvetmab is a viable and safe alternative for treating osteoarthritis, especially in dogs with comorbidities or with contraindications for other treatmentsN/

Solar industrialization, ‘sacrifice zones,’ and new environmental movements: emerging discourses of commonality and critique in Portugal’s energy transition

The transition to renewable energy is being pursued within neoliberal frameworks that prioritize market competition and industrial development, increasingly resulting in significant negative socio-ecological consequences and environmental injustices. As a result, scholars and activists are increasingly taking up more radical discursive strategies, adopting critical terms like ‘sacrifice zone,’ to describe marginalized places. In short, critiques of fossil fuel regimes are increasingly accompanied by an emerging critique of hegemonic renewable energy regimes. Through a case study of community resistance to a large-scale solar PV project in Alentejo, Portugal, this article aims to further understand this critique by analysing the arguments and discursive strategies that local movements are utilizing against business-as-usual renewable energy transitions and how they are received by powerful actors. Findings reveal that opposition is not solely driven by self-interest or place-attachment, but is deeply rooted in critiques of procedural and distributive injustices, framed through the critical and constructive discourse of ‘sacrifice zone’ which not only enabled residents to make sense of what was happening, but also allowed them to build new forms of territorial commonality and critique. This study highlights how the concept of the ‘sacrifice zone’ functions as a means of co-producing new knowledge and as a tool for explaining and coping with change. From the perspective of pragmatic sociology, it can also be viewed as a critical strategy of self-vulnerabilization—one that resists change, demands recognition, challenges state authority, and attempts to foster new territorial movements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cognition mediates the association between meaning in life and depression: sex-differentiated analysis in europeans aged 50 and over

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025This study aimed to explore whether immediate recall, delayed recall, and verbal fluency mediated the relationship between meaning in life and depression in a large sample of older adults from 17 European countries. The study also sought to investigate potential differences in mediation trajectories by sex. The data used were from the eighth wave of the SHARE project (year 2019), involving 24,277 individuals (13,874 women). The variables analyzed were: meaning in life extracted from the CASP-19 scale, tests for immediate recall, delayed recall and verbal fluency, and depression (12-item EURO-D scale). Depression was more prevalent among women. For both sexes, meaning in life was positively associated with immediate recall, delayed recall, and verbal fluency, while meaning in life was negatively associated with depression, indicating its potential to alleviate depressive feelings. The three cognitive domains significantly mediated the relationship between meaning in life and depression. Differences in indirect mediation effects between men and women were identified in the pathways: meaning in life → delayed recall → depression and meaning in life → verbal fluency → depression. The total indirect models for men and women differed significantly.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in older adults and patients with chronic disorders: a position paper from the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of lower respiratory tract infection, hospitalisation and death in adults. Methods: Based on evidence regarding the impact of RSV on adult populations at risk for severe infection and the efficacy and safety of RSV vaccines, the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine endorses this position paper with recommendations to prevent RSV-associated disease and its complications in adults through vaccination. Conclusion: The RSV vaccine is recommended for people aged ≥50 years with risk factors (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, immunocompromise, frailty, dementia, and residence in a nursing home) and all persons aged ≥60 years. If it cannot be made available to this population, then the vaccine should be prioritised for individuals aged ≥75 years and those aged ≥50 years with risk factors. The vaccine should preferably be given between September and November and can be co-administered with the influenza vaccine. Ongoing studies on RSV vaccines may justify extending these recommendations in the future.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Form Follows Life: Reinventing cities. Non Architecture publishing

The aim of this report is to present and discuss the results of the Non Architecture Competition: “Form Follows Life: Reinventing Cities”. Following Non Architecture’s engagement with the potentialities, and urgencies, surrounding cities and “nature” over the last few years, we came together to curate a competition that sought to challenge as much as possible current paradigms shaping ideas about what is “urban nature” and what might make a city a place where all forms of life can co-exist and thrive.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Customer experience and service quality in B2B startups: assessing spikes GMBH’S client relationships using SERVPERF

This study explores service quality and customer experience (CX) in the context of a growing B2B startup. Spikes GmbH is a boutique consultancy specialized in marketing analytics based on emotions. As Spikes scales its operations internationally, maintaining service quality becomes a key challenge. The research aims to assess how Spikes’ service delivery aligns with client expectations across three customer journey stages: onboarding, service delivery, and ongoing relationships. Using a qualitative, interpretivist approach, the study applies the SERVPERF framework through semi-structured interviews with five clients from different industries and one with the company’s co-founder. The findings reveal that while Spikes excels in professionalism, tailored solutions, and responsiveness, challenges persist in areas such as material accessibility, proactive engagement, and structured follow-ups. Clients noted difficulties in understanding deliverables independently due to a lack of explanatory annotations, and delays in project timeline communication created uncertainty. To enhance service quality, this study recommends improvements in onboarding materials by making them more self-explanatory, establishing a dedicated customerfacing role to improve communication, implementing clearer project timeline tracking, and strengthening structured follow-ups to maintain long-term relationships. These findings contribute to both academia and practice by demonstrating how the SERVPERF framework can be adapted for qualitative B2B service evaluations. By refining its processes, Spikes can sustain high service quality, ensuring long-term client satisfaction while scaling efficiently. The research also underscores broader implications for startups, emphasizing the need for structured service management frameworks to balance rapid growth with consistent CX.Este estudo explora a qualidade do serviço e a costumer experience (CX) no contexto de startups B2B em crescimento, com foco na Spikes GmbH, uma consultora especializada em análises de marketing baseadas em emoções. Com a sua expansão internacional, a manutenção da qualidade do serviço torna-se um desafio crucial. Esta investigação procura avaliar o alinhamento entre a entrega de serviços da Spikes e as expectativas dos clientes em três etapas da costumer journey: onboarding, entrega do serviço e relacionamento contínuo. Utilizando uma abordagem qualitativa interpretativista, o estudo aplica o modelo SERVPERF por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com cinco clientes de diferentes setores e com o cofundador da empresa. Os resultados revelaram que, embora a Spikes se notabilize em profissionalismo, soluções personalizadas e capacidade de resposta, a empresa permanece desafiada em áreas como disponibilização de acesso a materiais, interação proativa e follow-ups estruturados. Clientes afirmaram ter dificuldade em compreender materiais entregues sem explicações detalhadas, e ainda atrasos na comunicação de prazos de projetos, que resultaram em incertezas. Para aprimorar a qualidade do serviço, este estudo recomenda a melhoria de materiais de onboarding tornando-os mais autoexplicativos, a instituição de um cargo dedicado ao atendimento ao cliente de maneira a otimizar a comunicação, a implementação de um mais claro acompanhamento do cronograma de projetos e respetivo fortalecimento de follow-ups estruturados com o objetivo de manter relacionamentos de longo prazo. Tais descobertas contribuem tanto para a academia quanto para a prática, revelando como o modelo SERVPERF pode ser adaptado para avaliações qualitativas de serviços B2B. Ao depurar os seus processos, a Spikes pode manter padrões de alta qualidade no serviço, garantindo a satisfação dos clientes enquanto cresce de sustentávelmente. Esta pesquisa ressalta, ainda, mais amplas implicações para startups, ao enfatizar a necessidade de utilização de frameworks de gestão de serviços estruturados, viando equilibrar o crescimento rápido e a CX consistente.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Internship report exploring blockchain adoption in supply chain management: challenges, opportunities, and sustainability impacts

Blockchain technology has gained attention for its potential to transform supply chain management (SCM). This study focuses on understanding the key benefits, challenges, and barriers to adopting blockchain in SCM, while also exploring its integration with technologies like smart contracts and the Internet of Things (IoT). Although blockchain promises transparency, efficiency, and trust across supply chains, its adoption often faces burden like the resistance to change, the high implementation costs, and the legal uncertainties. To address these questions, this study used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Resistance Model (Davis, 1989) as a framework, guiding a qualitative study based on semistructured interviews with stakeholders involved in supply chain operations. Using MAXQDA for analysis, this study identified key benefits of the blockchain like improving the traceability, enhancing the operational efficiency, and its potential contribution to sustainability goals, aligning with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) (United Nations, n.d.). This study also discovered the barriers of the blockchain implementation like employee resistance, integration challenges with existing systems, and regulatory compliance issues. Finally, the findings of this research provide insights into the role of blockchain in advancing supply chain innovation and potential recommendations for businesses considering blockchain adoption.A tecnologia de cadeia de blocos ganhou atenção pelo seu potencial para transformar a gestão da cadeia de abastecimento (SCM). Este estudo centra-se na compreensão dos principais benefícios, desafios e barreiras à adoção da cadeia de blocos na SCM, explorando também a sua integração com tecnologias como os contratos inteligentes e a Internet das Coisas (IoT). Embora a cadeia de blocos prometa transparência, eficiência e confiança em todas as cadeias de abastecimento, a sua adoção enfrenta frequentemente obstáculos como a resistência à mudança, os elevados custos de implementação e as incertezas jurídicas. Para abordar essas questões, este estudo usou o Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) e o Modelo de Resistência (Davis, 1989) como uma estrutura, orientando um estudo qualitativo baseado em entrevistas semiestruturadas com partes interessadas envolvidas nas operações da cadeia de suprimentos. Utilizando o MAXQDA para a análise, este estudo identificou os principais benefícios da cadeia de blocos, como a melhoria da rastreabilidade, o aumento da eficiência operacional e a sua potencial contribuição para os objectivos de sustentabilidade, alinhando-se com o SDG 9 (Indústria, Inovação e Infra-estruturas) e o SDG 12 (Consumo e Produção Responsáveis) (Nações Unidas, n.d.). Este estudo também descobriu as barreiras à implementação da cadeia de blocos, como a resistência dos funcionários, os desafios de integração com os sistemas existentes e as questões de conformidade regulamentar. Por último, os resultados desta investigação fornecem informações sobre o papel da cadeia de blocos no avanço da inovação da cadeia de abastecimento e potenciais recomendações para as empresas que consideram a adoção da cadeia de blocos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Familiarity and satisfaction with plant-based meat alternatives around the world

Meat consumption around the world is increasing, especially in economically developing countries (e.g., China). There is compelling evidence that the demand and consumption of meat has negative impacts on animal welfare, the environment, and people’s health. Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMA) represent one approach to reducing meat consumption. However, relatively little is known about how the factors that influence PBMAs acceptance vary across countries. We sought to examine the effects of gender, age, and meat consumption on familiarity and satisfaction with PBMAs, and to explore how these effects differed across 23 countries on four continents (N = 20,966). We found that women, younger individuals, and those who consumed less meat were more familiar and satisfied with PBMAs. In Asian countries, the association between age and meat consumption with PBMA acceptance was weaker than those in Western countries, perhaps because of cultural differences in dietary traditions. Our findings highlight the importance demography and geographical context in attitudes about PBMAs and have practical implications for meat reduction efforts worldwide.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geographic Education and Citizen Participation: The Project We Propose!

From the transition between the 18th and 19th centuries, the teaching of Geography emphasized the description of large global spaces, aligned with a rationalist perspective suitable for shaping expansionist elites. In the 19th century, this discipline fostered identification with the nation-state through the concept of territory, promoting a conformist form of citizenship. The following century, marked by two world wars and the Cold War, continued these educational traditions. The current century introduces the social appeal of participatory and multi-scalar territorial construction. The Nós Propomos!/ We Propose! Project embraces the challenge of fostering committed and proactive participation in territorial citizenship. Its methodological simplicity (problem identification by pupils, fieldwork, presentation, and sharing of proposals) ensures its applicability even in educational peripheries. The international expansion of the project demonstrates that it provides an alternative educational response, influencing educational practices beyond the boundaries of Nós Propomos!info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio